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October 11, 2005
On October 7, 2005, FDA issued guidance to industry intended to provide information and references that can be used for the decontamination of food transport vehicles following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September 2005. The scope of this guidance is limited to decontamination of trucks, rail cars, and cold storage units that were flooded or otherwise impacted by the hurricanes, before being placed back in service to transport or store food.
FDA's guidance documents, including this document, do not establish legally enforceable responsibilities. Instead, guidance documents describe the Agency's current thinking on a topic and should be viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are cited. The use of the word should in Agency guidance means that something is suggested or recommended, but not required. The guidance is available online at FDA'a website.
The guidance states that all food transport vehicles that have been subjected to flood waters should be decontaminated before being returned to service to transport or store food. If not decontaminated, they should be used for other purposes or decommissioned and/or placed in salvage. In addition, decontamination should be accomplished in a manner which remediates any insanitary condition due to the presence of harmful microorganisms or chemical residues, or filth that could adulterate food transported in the vehicle. Upon decontamination, the condition of the vehicle should be such that any food in the vehicle will be protected against physical, chemical, and microbial contamination, as well as against deterioration of the food and the container, as required by 21 CFR 110.93. Normal decontamination procedures such as chemical sanitization or disinfection should be adequate for this purpose.
For questions concerning implementation of this guidance for the affected geographic area, contact the FDA District or Regional office for your area.
